Couture-sur-Loir

Couture-sur-Loir
Couture-sur-Loir
Part of Vallée-de-Ronsard
	Manoir de la Possonnière, birthplace of Pierre de Ronsard
	Coat of arms
	show Location of Couture-sur-Loir
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	Coordinates: 47°45′16″N 0°41′19″E / 47.7544°N 0.6886°ECoordinates: 47°45′16″N 0°41′19″E / 47.7544°N 0.6886°E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Loir-et-Cher
Arrondissement	Vendôme
Canton	Montoire-sur-le-Loir
Commune	Vallée-de-Ronsard
Area 1	14.3 km2 (5.5 sq mi)
Population (2017)	412
• Density	29/km2 (75/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	41800
Elevation	54–136 m (177–446 ft) ; (avg. 70 m or 230 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Couture-sur-Loir is a former commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Vallée-de-Ronsard.^[2]

It is situated in the northwest of the Loir-et-Cher department, 33 km (21 mi) to the west of Vendôme. It lies mainly on the left bank of the river Loir.

Geography[]

Couture is in the canton of Montoire-sur-le-Loir, which corresponds to the historic Bas-Vendômois district.

Adjacent to the village centre (with a crossroad street pattern) or bourg are two parallel settlements, Le Poirier and more distinctly Le Pin.

Economy[]

The main industry (apart from farming and tourism) is gravel extraction; excavated areas have been adapted for water sports. A number of inhabitants are employed by the paper manufacturers at Bessé-sur-Braye (Sarthe).

History[]

It is first referred to as in a charter of the 9th-century bishop of Le Mans, Saint Aldric (earlier references are doubtless fictitious).

A partial source for the history of Couture in the later 17th century are the memoirs of Louis XIV's valet, Marie Dubois, who came from the village.

Population[]

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	825	—
1806	950	+15.2%
1821	878	−7.6%
1831	930	+5.9%
1841	909	−2.3%
1851	930	+2.3%
1861	906	−2.6%
1872	854	−5.7%
1881	836	−2.1%
1891	843	+0.8%
1901	782	−7.2%
1911	749	−4.2%
1921	681	−9.1%
1931	640	−6.0%
1946	720	+12.5%
1954	635	−11.8%
1962	618	−2.7%
1968	606	−1.9%
1975	535	−11.7%
1982	467	−12.7%
1990	450	−3.6%
1999	433	−3.8%
2008	425	−1.8%
2013	411	−3.3%

Sights[]

The housing reflects periods of prosperity and villégiature-type occupation in recent centuries.

Renowned for the Renaissance chateau of La Possonnière, birthplace of the poet Pierre de Ronsard, the village also possesses an Angevin-style church dedicated to Saints Gervase and Protase. The church contains the tombstone of Ronsard's parents and is known for its spire.

Personalities[]

Notable 20th-century inhabitants have included the Hallopeau and Sainte-Claire Deville families (noted scientists), the academic inspector Jean Pasquier and the Catholic historian François Lebrun. It is also the town where Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585) was born.